Today
Packers (11-6) at Cowboys (13-3), 4:40 p.m. Fox
Dallas hosts Green Bay in both a rematch of a regular-season game and 2014's divisional-round match, which was actually in January 2015. The Packers beat the Cowboys at home, 26-21, and that was the game that involved the infamous and controversial catch-no catch Dez Bryant play. This year, in Week 6, Dallas topped Green Bay at Lambeau Field, 30-16, just when the Packers were beginning to sputter a bit on offense and get exposed in their secondary. Green Bay is on a seven-game winning streak now, though, and is perhaps the hottest team in the NFL. That was also kind of the coming out party, though there were several, for Cowboys rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. Prescott was 18 of 27 for 247 yards, three TDs, and one INT. Elliott had no TDs, but 28 carries for 157 yards. Dez Bryant was unavailable in that game with an injury. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was 31 of 42 for 294 yards, but had just one TD, was picked off, and also fumbled near the goal line, taking a scoring chance away from the Packers. Unless game plans change drastically, one of the main things Dallas will have to do today to win is control the clock. Obviously, the Cowboys will try to run the ball a lot with Elliott, and despite the Packers' top-10 rushing defense, Dallas was able to do that in Week 6. That will keep the Packers' offense off the field, shorten the game, and possibly give Rodgers less time and fewer possession to hurt the Cowboys. Rodgers will be without favorite target Jordy Nelson, who hurt his ribs on a really hard shot to the side from a Giants' player's helmet in their wild card game. Nelson was not even allowed to practice this week. The Packers, though, have lots of other weapons, including Randall Cobb, who came back last week from an ankle injury after a few weeks off and had five catches for 116 yards and three TDs, Davante Adams, who sort of announced his arrival to the NFL in the playoff game two years ago with a solid line, and Ty Montgomery, a versatile running back/wide receiver. Plus, midseason running back acquisition Christine Michael is capable of having an impact on the game as well. Looking at the teams, I think that most analysts like Dallas in most areas, but an edge has to be given to Rodgers over Prescott right now. Not that Prescott hasn't played well, but Rodgers has 22 touchdowns and no picks over his past eight games, and that includes a blowout loss to the Redskins, the Packers' last defeat of the season. So he is playing out of his mind. Can Dallas be so solid in everything else that it overcomes Rodgers' greatness? Will Dallas have a hard time getting going since it hasn't played in a competitive game since Dec. 26 against the Lions? Will the hot Packers keep the momentum up and keep rolling? You have to think, with every postseason game being decided by double digits so far, one of these games today will live up to the hype. I'm going to give the Cowboys a slight edge at home, but to say a Packers win would be unsurprising would be an understatement.
Cowboys 31, Packers 30
Steelers (12-5) at Chiefs (12-4), 8:20 p.m. NBC
Pittsburgh destroyed Kansas City at home in Week 4, 43-14, in terrible weather. A lot has changed since then, though. The Chiefs are healthier and have linebacker Justin Houston, plus have discovered a breakout star in Tyreek Hill, who has 11 TDs: six receiving, three rushing, one kick return, and one punt return. Pittsburgh ended up struggling after beating Kansas City, but, much like Green Bay, has turned into one of the league's hottest teams and has won eight in a row. The Steelers' last loss was at home against Dallas. The Steelers' defense has also improved since then. Kansas City is not as explosive as Pittsburgh, but, like Dallas, will try to control the clock with QB Alex Smith's checkdowns and a solid running game led by Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West. Pittsburgh, of course, features the imposing trio of Ben Roethlisberger, RB Le'Veon Bell, and WR Antonio Brown. Bell has rushed for an incredible 1,002 yards and eight TDs his past seven contests. Kansas City was not excellent at stopping teams this year in terms of yardage, but the led the league with 33 takeaways and was tied with Oakland in turnover differential at +16. One thing that hasn't changed is the bad weather. The NFL moved the start time of this game from 1:05 to 8:20 because of an ice storm rolling through Kansas City. Tonight, it will be above freezing, but a cold rain is expected to be falling, and the field probably won't be in the best condition. In a game that mirrors the Packers-Cowboys a little bit, I think we are looking at another tossup. A home sweep for the divisional teams seems so unlikely, I'm going to go with Pittsburgh in a close game, thinking it will just have a little bit too much offense for Kansas City to keep up. The Chiefs, though, for as hot as the Steelers are, have gone 22-4 over their past 26 regular-season games. They went 1-1 in the playoffs last year, shutting out Houston in the wild card game before losing at New England the next week. The Chiefs have plenty of confidence and could just as easily take this one as well.
Steelers 27, Chiefs 24
Packers (11-6) at Cowboys (13-3), 4:40 p.m. Fox
Dallas hosts Green Bay in both a rematch of a regular-season game and 2014's divisional-round match, which was actually in January 2015. The Packers beat the Cowboys at home, 26-21, and that was the game that involved the infamous and controversial catch-no catch Dez Bryant play. This year, in Week 6, Dallas topped Green Bay at Lambeau Field, 30-16, just when the Packers were beginning to sputter a bit on offense and get exposed in their secondary. Green Bay is on a seven-game winning streak now, though, and is perhaps the hottest team in the NFL. That was also kind of the coming out party, though there were several, for Cowboys rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. Prescott was 18 of 27 for 247 yards, three TDs, and one INT. Elliott had no TDs, but 28 carries for 157 yards. Dez Bryant was unavailable in that game with an injury. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was 31 of 42 for 294 yards, but had just one TD, was picked off, and also fumbled near the goal line, taking a scoring chance away from the Packers. Unless game plans change drastically, one of the main things Dallas will have to do today to win is control the clock. Obviously, the Cowboys will try to run the ball a lot with Elliott, and despite the Packers' top-10 rushing defense, Dallas was able to do that in Week 6. That will keep the Packers' offense off the field, shorten the game, and possibly give Rodgers less time and fewer possession to hurt the Cowboys. Rodgers will be without favorite target Jordy Nelson, who hurt his ribs on a really hard shot to the side from a Giants' player's helmet in their wild card game. Nelson was not even allowed to practice this week. The Packers, though, have lots of other weapons, including Randall Cobb, who came back last week from an ankle injury after a few weeks off and had five catches for 116 yards and three TDs, Davante Adams, who sort of announced his arrival to the NFL in the playoff game two years ago with a solid line, and Ty Montgomery, a versatile running back/wide receiver. Plus, midseason running back acquisition Christine Michael is capable of having an impact on the game as well. Looking at the teams, I think that most analysts like Dallas in most areas, but an edge has to be given to Rodgers over Prescott right now. Not that Prescott hasn't played well, but Rodgers has 22 touchdowns and no picks over his past eight games, and that includes a blowout loss to the Redskins, the Packers' last defeat of the season. So he is playing out of his mind. Can Dallas be so solid in everything else that it overcomes Rodgers' greatness? Will Dallas have a hard time getting going since it hasn't played in a competitive game since Dec. 26 against the Lions? Will the hot Packers keep the momentum up and keep rolling? You have to think, with every postseason game being decided by double digits so far, one of these games today will live up to the hype. I'm going to give the Cowboys a slight edge at home, but to say a Packers win would be unsurprising would be an understatement.
Cowboys 31, Packers 30
Steelers (12-5) at Chiefs (12-4), 8:20 p.m. NBC
Pittsburgh destroyed Kansas City at home in Week 4, 43-14, in terrible weather. A lot has changed since then, though. The Chiefs are healthier and have linebacker Justin Houston, plus have discovered a breakout star in Tyreek Hill, who has 11 TDs: six receiving, three rushing, one kick return, and one punt return. Pittsburgh ended up struggling after beating Kansas City, but, much like Green Bay, has turned into one of the league's hottest teams and has won eight in a row. The Steelers' last loss was at home against Dallas. The Steelers' defense has also improved since then. Kansas City is not as explosive as Pittsburgh, but, like Dallas, will try to control the clock with QB Alex Smith's checkdowns and a solid running game led by Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West. Pittsburgh, of course, features the imposing trio of Ben Roethlisberger, RB Le'Veon Bell, and WR Antonio Brown. Bell has rushed for an incredible 1,002 yards and eight TDs his past seven contests. Kansas City was not excellent at stopping teams this year in terms of yardage, but the led the league with 33 takeaways and was tied with Oakland in turnover differential at +16. One thing that hasn't changed is the bad weather. The NFL moved the start time of this game from 1:05 to 8:20 because of an ice storm rolling through Kansas City. Tonight, it will be above freezing, but a cold rain is expected to be falling, and the field probably won't be in the best condition. In a game that mirrors the Packers-Cowboys a little bit, I think we are looking at another tossup. A home sweep for the divisional teams seems so unlikely, I'm going to go with Pittsburgh in a close game, thinking it will just have a little bit too much offense for Kansas City to keep up. The Chiefs, though, for as hot as the Steelers are, have gone 22-4 over their past 26 regular-season games. They went 1-1 in the playoffs last year, shutting out Houston in the wild card game before losing at New England the next week. The Chiefs have plenty of confidence and could just as easily take this one as well.
Steelers 27, Chiefs 24
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